Holy Ravioli

Sunday, June 29, 2014

I cant for the life of me figure out what happened to the panzarotti. Where did it go? When I was growing up in the Philadelphia area they were everywhere. Deep fried pizza treats that were delicious beyond compare. I remember my dad getting them from an Italian place that only made fried chicken, panzarottis and pizza. I remember this being damn tasty stuff that these fryer people had. The Jersey shore boardwalks the aroma of panzarottis swimming in the fryers. On a Wildwood beach day I remember the decision between a panzarotti and a taylor pork roll sandwich for lunch being a tough choice. Taylor pork roll is gone from the boardwalk too. But that is another story.

So like the St Louis's fried brain sandwich the panzarotti is going the way of the dodo. Perhaps because of the diet craze and the all out witch hunt fear and loathing of fat. I dont know? But whatever happened, subsequent generations of Philadelphia residents and tourists will miss out on this once great treat.

When I want to relive my memories of the panzarotti I make them homemade. It is the only way to get one without going to Italy.

Dough

Will make a few large panzarottis or several small ones.

1-1/2 cup flour (preferable bread flour)

1-1/2 cup pastry flour

1 egg

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of sugar

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1-1/2 tablespoon of yeast

1 cup of warm lukewarm water

Add the yeast and sugar to the warm water. Stir and place the cup into a secondary bowl. Let it sit in a warm place for a half hour or so. The yeast will activate and foam up. The secondary bowl will catch the over flow if there is any as the yeast wakes up.

Add the flour to a large bowl with the other ingredients. mix in the egg and oil. Then gradually add the yeasty water. Mix each time after adding a little liquid. After it forms ino a nice ball that is not to wet and not too dry knead it over a few times and form it under into a ball. Then cover it with a damp kitchen cloth and set it in warm place to rise. After it has risen, "punch it down" and form it into balls about twice the size of a golf ball. Cover with the damp towel and set them to rise again.

Sauce

Left over gravy or marinara sauce will work great. If not make plain old pizza sauce. You do have your own pizza sauce recipe, don't you?

Cheese

Grate some nice mozzarella, provolone, Parmesan, locatelli alone or in any combination.

When the balls of dough have risen again clean and prepare a section of the counter for rolling.

*Here is a great cooking tip. When rolling any dough for frying never flour the counter and rolling pin. This will add lots of loose flour that will come off in the oil and burn very quickly and can make your food have a burnt taste. Instead use cooking oil. Pour out a tablespoon of oil or so and rub it around with a paper towel where you will roll. Then with the paper towel wipe down the rolling pin.

Now take te balls of dough one at a time and roll them out to about twice the dimensions of the desired panzarotti size. Take your time and try to make them as round as possible

Spoon on the sauce taking care not to get it near the edges as tis could interfere with the joint when you close it. A rupture can happen in the oil and the cheese and sauce will come out making a big mess. You can put other fillings as well. Sausage, peperoni, anchovies, spinach, mushrooms. Almost anything, but I would suggest if this is your first time having panzarotti to try it it unfettered with just sauce and cheese. Then try other things later.

Now fold the dough carefully over the top and seal the closure very well. Use a fork to crimp it closed. Set them on a lightly oiled surface while you get the oil ready.

*Here is another great cooking tip: The best way to get great results with deep frying is to use lard. That is rendered pork fat. We get pork fat from a Mexican grocery store. I use it when I am getting serious about deep frying anything. Pork lard hits the right temperatures and is the right viscosity to get the best frying action. What most people don't realize is that when these conditions are right the food will drink up very little of the fat that it is being fried in. There is a reverse osmosis action so to speak. This isn't the case with vegetable oil so things fried in it tend to be soggy not crispy.

If you are not going to use lard veg oil is good, peanut oil even better. Heat up over medium high heat an iron frying pan or something with at least an inch of oil in it. Carefully place the panzarottis in the oil with a spatula if need be. Be aware of splashing hot oil! IF you have a deep fryer that allows you to immerse the entire panzarotti that is great.

Fry it until it is golden to dark brown and there are blistering bubbles on the doughs surface.

Very carefully turn it and fry it on the other side.

Give this a try, I promise you will love The Panzarotti. They are a delicious slice of fading Philadelphia culinary history and my childhood as well.

Thursday, June 5, 2014

What is kefir? Well, simply put it is a fermented milk product that is sort of a distant cousin to yogurt but far different. It is an ancient beverage that is very refreshing and considered by many to be VERY healthy, mostly because of the plethora of pro-biotic bacteria.

The word kefir, which originated in the Caucasus Mountains, comes from kief which translates to 'good feelings' no doubt from the sense of "well being" one can feel after drinking this beverage. It is creamy, sour, and slightly effervescent. it can be described as having notes of lemon and beer in both aroma and flavor. Among all of the healthy bacteria contained in kefir from its fermentation process it also has alcohol. Yep alcohol! Depending on the milk that is used and how long it is fermented up to 3 percent alcohol can develop. Not to shabby.

Much like with yogurt or almost any food, the commercial kefir that is available in the store is only a mere shadow of the real thing. The only way to get the real thing is to make it yourself. It is very easy to do and the only thing you will have to get is fresh, healthy kefir "grains" and some fresh milk.You an either get the grains from a friend that may be making kefir at home or you can buy them. I highly recommend using organic milk at the very least. Commercial milk is bad for your kefir grains and no doubt bad for you. We use only raw milk in our house and it works great for making kefir.

Kefir grains that were just strained from a batch and ready for the next

Lets talk for a minute about kefir grains. They are not actually grains in the cereal sense of the word. They are just called grains because of the granular appearance that they take on. They are grain like, kinda? What they are actually is a biological mass made up of protein, amino acids, lipids and polysaccharides.

These enclosed bodies are created buy a symbiosis of yeast and bacteria which don't ordinary get along in nature. so it is kind of interesting. They not only create the bio-matrix structure they are also encapsulated within it. So, literally they build this house together and live within it peacefully. Cant we all just get along?

Section view of a kefir grain

Kefir is easily made at home like it has been for thousands of years by putting kefir grains into fresh milk in a nonreactive container. Glass or some kind of pottery crock is best. Don't use metal or plastic. The grains need oxygen to do their thing in the fermentation process so don't cover with a lid. Instead cover the glass jar with a some cheese cloth or a towel to keep out dirt or any bugs that may wonder by. Tie it on with some string or use a rubber band. Set it in a dark place at room temperature and 24 hours later you will have a mild kefir, two three or more days, up to a couple of weeks it will get stronger and stronger, more sour, more alcohol content and with more pro-biotic culture.

It is important to note that after three weeks there is the risk that the grains will die because they have exhausted the nutrients they derive from the milk and they essentially starve to death. The kefir grains can be removed to a new batch and the existing batch can be further fermented. I have had kefir in the cabinet for over 4 months and it was still drinkable though very strong and very hard to describe in flavor.One of the reasons kefir grains have been so prized over the centuries is their use in the preservation of milk for storage without refrigeration.

The grains will live indefinitely so changed over with milk on an ongoing basis by straining the finished product and adding new milk they will go on and on making you as much kefir as you desire. If you want to take a break simply put them in a small amount of milk and cover them with a towel tied on top into the fridge. Change over the small of amount of milk they are in every two weeks or so to "feed" them. They will sort of hibernate. When you are ready to make kefir again just take them out and add them to the desired amount of milk. They will wake back up.

Kefir under fermentation

When kefir is fermenting it can be kind of scary looking. It separates and even movement can be spotted. Don't be alarmed by this because after it is strained it mixes right back together into a creamy consistency with a whisk.

After the Kefir has been strained from the grains and whisked back together it can be stored in the refrigerator indefinitely. It is alive. You could actually even store it in the cabinet at room temperature and let it mature. There are ways to make cheese with it!

The best way to enjoy kefir in my opinion is blended with ice and fruit or honey, even maple syrup. You can make just about any kind of kefir shake your imagination can come up with.

Kefir blended with ice, fresh strawberriesand honey

There are MANY widely accepted claims about the health qualities locked within kefir.
Certainly one benefit is the pro-biotic bacterial cultures that will build up in your digestive track if you consume it. Your body needs this flora of healthy bacteria to help with digestion and perhaps a good deal of other things.. There is something we are loosing in our world of convenience, sterilization, pasteurization. It gets worse with sanitizers and antibiotics too. They kill bacteria indiscriminately when used and the good guys get killed too. Ever wonder why there is so much lactose intolerance, gluten intolerance, peanut and food allergies? When I was a kid everyone ate peanuts. It was almost a requirement. Nobody had a peanut allergy. Maybe the chemicals we put in commercial food is less of a problem than the stuff we have taken out.

Kefir, it is a super food and has been consumed for thousands of years. It is not just a refreshing beverage, it is a scientific experiment that you can drink!

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Pain Perdu in french means "lost bread". In France like in many countries they don't throw away stale bread. They make something with it. Croutons, bread crumbs, fritattas, the list goes on and on. This is no doubt because the bread is so good they can not bring them selves to throw it in the trash.

One way to save bread is bread pudding or as they call it in France Pain Perdu. Which by the way is how I believe the American french toast came about. Some cook didn't have any bread pudding left so they faked it with bread in custard pan fried, could be? .There are all manor of bread pudding made all over the world. The variations are endless with the base of stale bread baked in an egg custard. With the addition of nuts, raisins or other fruits you can make a traditional bread pudding that is quite a nice old fashioned desert. You can change it up from time to time and end up with something completely different. In the Caribbean they make bread pudding with coconut milk custard as one example

Pictured above is banana bread pudding that I made with leftover plantain bread. The plantain bread was semisweet and had dried fruit and nuts in it. I made a lot of the plantain bread and there inevitably was some left over. You can make bread pudding from not just bread but, banana nut bread and zucchini bread, things like that, corn muffins even cake.

You can follow this recipe to make banana bread pudding even if you are using regular bread, or you can change it just about anyway you want. It is a very flexible concept that you should base on what you have leftover and on hand, including amounts.

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Sure it sounds like some kind of shouted Italian profanity in a mafia movie but it is not. It is a delicious staple dish from Puerto Rico made with fried mashed plantains. It is comparable in its preparation and use to mashed potatoes. The name sounds African and no doubt it was brought to the Caribbean by the Africans who are known for making several types of mortar and pestle smashed starchy dishes such as fufu.

Mofungo served with Puerto Rican style pork stew and rice and beans.

Mofungo can be served all sorts of ways, stuffed with meat, topped with shrimp and garlic sauce or served along side of fried fatty pork to name a few. It is versatile and delicious but most of all it is very easy to make and serves as the perfect accompaniment to any Puerto Rican dish.It is just another great way to enjoy plantains.

To make mofungo you will need some green plantains.It is important that they are green and unripe. If you use ripe yellow plantains it will work but you will end up with a different dish entirely.

Following is a recipe for basic mofungo.

Ingredients

Green plantains. (one per person)

Garlic

Salt and pepper

Water

Lard or butter for adding to the mash

Lard or cooking oil for frying.

First start buy peeling the plantains. Peeling green plantains can be a bit of a challenge but with a little practice you will be a pro in no time at all. Take a sharp knife and slice through the skin from the stem to the but on two sides. Stick your thumb into the sliced skin and carefully pull it away making sure not to pull away the meat as well.

Then slice the plantains into one inch thick long slices and fry them the same as if you were going to make toastones.

Fry them for about five min on each side until they are turning slightly
brown, then remove them and strain them on a paper towel.

Put them immediately into a bowl and begin to mash them with a potato masher or the back side of a slotted spoon. It is very important to mash them while they are still hot.

Add some salt and pepper, garlic to taste. Also add some pork fat or butter. Mash the mixture until it is coarse and holding together. Also add a bit of water as needed to make a softer finished product.

At this point it is ready to form into a ball, or push it into a small bowl to make the desired shape for serving. At this point you could stuff it with ground beef or pork, even shrimp or crab meat.

I prepare each serving and set them aside while I prepare other dishes for the meal.

When it comes time to serve them, brush it with a little lard or butter and put them in a preheated 400 degree oven until they are warm ad soft nside and starting to get a bit toasty, golden brown on the outside.

Serve them up with your other dishes and you will have a authentic Puerto Rican meal.

VIVA LA PUERTO RICO!

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I absolutely love Vietnamese cooking. It is a simple yet exotic style of cooking that is beyond comparison. I am indeed grateful to our Vietnamese immigrants who brought this grand style of cooking to the US and I want to learn as much about it as I can. Thit Kho To in this cooks opinion is a VERY special dish and yet it is so very simple to make.

With several not so hard to find ingredients anyone can make this dish with ease. There are a couple of steps that may at first glance seem complicated but don't be put off. With a little practice you can make this authentic old world, melt in your mouth,Vietnamese dish that will amaze your fellow diners.

Thit Kho To is typically made in a clay pot like this one. But don't worry if you don't have one. You can use a dutch oven or any pot with a lid that is oven safe.

Ingredients

2 lbs boneless pork butt or shoulder cut into two inch square pieces.

Water from one green coconut. (You can find them in almost any Asian grocery store.)

Three tablespoons of Fish Sauce

Lets face it, many westerners are turned off by fish sauce. The smell makes it understandable. But when you learn how to use it and what it actually adds to your food you will change your mind.

4 or 6 scallions chopped

1 clove of garlic

1 teaspoon of sea salt

1 teaspoon of fresh cracked black pepper

1/4 cup of caramelized sugar

Caramelized sugar is a common ingredient in Vietnamese cooking. It is also found in other types of cooking and it is a very useful ingredient. After you make it it stores well in a jar in the cabinet. If you are like me and as with fish sauce you will find yourself using it in other types of cooking as well. Making caramelized sugar is not hard to do at all. You just can NOT walk away from it while it is on the stove.

Place a pot with one cup of water and one cup of sugar on a burner set on high. As it begins to boil be very careful as it becomes fantastically hot and sticky. Bring it to a boil and watch it. I have to reiterate, Do NOT walk away as it will change very quickly and become a burnt mess in no time at all. It will boil and the water will begin to evaporate.

As the water evaporate it will become just boiling sugar. Gradually it will start to turn brown.

Very soon after this it will turn dark brown, with hints of red like wine. Then remove it from the burner.

Now very carefully add about a half cup of water. Be very careful because there is a violent reaction when cool water comes in contact with the molten sugar. Once the water is added return it to the heat and stir it until all is blended with no lumps of caramelized sugar.

The finished product will look like this.

Dark and very reflective.

Now take what you will for the Thit Kho To and pour the rest in a jar to use later. It will keep forever. Literally.

To prepare the Thit Kho To place the meat in the pot with all of the dry ingredients and toss it around until the meat is well covered. Pour over the green coconut water, fish sauce and caramelized sugar.

Cover with a tight fitting lid and put it into a preheated oven at 400 degrees. Cook for about an hour and remove to to check. Turn the meat over if need be put the lid back on and return it to the oven. This time turn it down to about 300 degrees. Cook it for another half hour or so. The meat should be well cooked and tender to the point of almost falling apart.

Serve it with a salad, jasmine or better yet broken rice and some Jasmine tea.

Monday, November 25, 2013

Ceviche is a dish popular all over South and Latin America. It is a light refreshing concoction of fish that is marinated in lime. It is often found at little bars and cafes in coastal areas where there is an abundance of fresh fish plucked right out of the sea. A chemical reaction takes place between the acids in the lime juice and the proteins in the fish flesh. The structure of the meat is altered and it grows opaque and firm. It is also widely believed that the acids kill bacteria. Im pretty sure this is debatable so the same amount of apprehensiveness should apply to ceviche that would be given to sushi. That means that only the absolute freshest fish should be used. To quote Captain Mickey Melchiondo: "There is fresh you can buy and there is fresh you can not buy" Meaning you can buy fish that is KINDA fresh but if you want truly fresh fish you have to catch it yourself. I love that and there is something special about cooking fish that you have caught yourself. I will never again make ceviche unless it is fish that has been plucked from the sea and hopefully that day. It is the way it was meant to be and the only true way to make ceviche.

First Mate Craig cleaning and filleting Our Stripers Dock Side.

There are many different types of ceviche made with all kinds of seafood, with the basic combination of fish and lime juice the other ingredients are only limited by your imagination. If you have never made it I suggest starting with this basic recipe.

To "cook" the fish in lime place the cubed fish into a large bowl or pot. Squeeze the lime juice on top and add orange juice until the meat is covered well with the juice. Pour in the chopped onions salt and pepper. Give a careful stir to make sure everything is well mixed. Cover and place into the fridge for about two ours. This is sufficient time for the reaction to have taken place. The chunks of fish will be firm and opaque. There is a "window" of a time frame that ceviche is at its best. It is between two and four hours. It is still good after four hours but it is at its best after two or three. I usually try to time it so that it is ready for guests just like anything that I may be cooking.

After the marinading step is complete take a cullender and strain out the lime juice marinade. You can discard it or drink it. They say drinking it is a cure for a hangover, well maybe is true, but either way I bet it would be good added to a Bloody Mary, I dont know?

Strain out the fish and onions, place it in a mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE ASSEMBLY

two avocados cut into half inch cubes

two fresh tomatoes chopped (Or a bunch of cherry tomatoes chopped)

half cup of chopped fresh cilantro.

1/4 cup of orange juice.

chopped chile or jalapeno peppers or a few tablespoons of tung ot toi Viet Nam chili garlic sauce. Hot pepper is optional and the later works well for making a hot batch while leaving some mild.

1-2 drops Vietnamese fish sauce.(also optional)

Mix a bit, cover and put into the fridge for fifteen mins so that all of the flavors will marry. Then it is ready to serve. Serve it with deep fried corn tortillas, saltine crackers or even garlic toast. It is a refreshing light dish perfect for breakfast, lunch, a picnic or a snack.

While we are talking about fresh fish; my friend and associate Jason Simcox and I were privileged enough to have gone on a fishing expedition aboard the sacred Archangel with the famed Captain Mickey Melechindo at the helm. That is where I got the striped bass for this ceviche. He is better known by most as Dean Ween of the legendary rock group Ween, He is also one of the members of the slam ass, toe tappin, meth-rock band Moistboyz. Any of my neighbors for the last twenty plus years will tell you that I am a Ween fan and more recently having discovered Moistboyz my neighbors have even more to worry about. So, needless to say the trip was extra special for us. It is a pleasure for me to watch someone do what they love, whether it is a musician on stage pouring love and magic, or a fisherman reeling in fish. It is just simply amazing to me.

Well, the guy is a madman at finding the fish. He is the Quint of rock and roll, literally! We were reeling them in like crazy, my arm was tired and my thumb is still kinda sore.

Mickey runs charters out of Belmar NJ so if you ever want to go on a great fishing trip aboard the Archangel give him a call. It is one extra cool way to get fresh striped bass for making Ceviche!

Sunday, November 17, 2013

The Bean Pie

In our house this is the time of year when we make a lot of pies. They are a big part of the holidays. We do make pies in the summer sometimes, strawberry, blue berry etc. But Thanks Giving is the big pie holiday. For years in our house the king of holiday pies was always pumpkin and sweet potato pie. Then one day I bought a pie from a man wearing a red bow tie. It was a bean pie. I thought to my self, is this a savory pie? Is it pork and beans pie? The man with the bow tie said they are delicious, I was hungry, I had to believe him. Holy cow was he right. From the first bite I was hooked. I still like pumpkin pie, I really like sweet potato pie but bean pie is the new king of pies in our house. I could sit down and eat a whole 9" myself without even batting an eye, maybe two.

I love making bean pies and it is not terribly difficult to do yourself. So if you can not find a local Nation of Islam bean pie supplier on the corner then give it a try your self. If you like pumpkin pie you will love bean pie.

First buy a frozen pie crust from the grocery store. Then when you get home take the pie crust out of the wrapper and throw it into the trash. Because that is where it belongs. Better yet don't buy a pre-made pie crust make your own because it is not very difficult if you follow these rules. They are, all butter crust, Cold, Cold and Cold and touch it as little as possible.

Flawless, Flaked Out, all butter Pie Crust

Ingredients

2-1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 stick of butter (frozen)

tablespoon of sugar

teaspoon of salt

For each single crust pie put a stick of butter into the freezer. Put in two sticks if you are making a pie with crust on top as well. For bean pies it is an open top pie so put in one stick of butter per pie. When the sticks of butter are completely frozen it is time to begin your crust.

Take a glass of clean water and drop in some ice cubes. Then take a large bowl and put in 2-1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour, a table spoon of sugar and a tea spoon of salt.

*Note: This recipe works for all dishes that call for a pie crust. If you are using it for a savory dish; say Beef Wellington for example, then omit the sugar.

Next take a coarse grater and as quickly as possible grate the frozen butter into the flour, sugar and salt. Remember "cold, cold' cold" the idea is to incorporate the fat intop the flour as quickly as possible so that it does not get warm. You can use one of those pastry mixers but I find that my fingers work best. Pinch and rub the butter and flour between the palms and fingers into it is mixed. It does not have to e perfect and you should see small pieces of butter through te flour. Next add cold water a couple of tablespoons at a time. Mix quickly and fold over with the fingers. It should only take add water a couple or few times. dont add to much water because this will make your dough tough. add just enough so that the buttery flour begins to hold together and form dough. The dough should be speckled with whole pieces of butter. This is what will make your crust flaky.

For a pies worth of dough into a ball put it in a bowl, cover with a damp cloth and put it in the fridge. It needs to sitt in there for about an hour. Don't rush it. This is where the flour will 'drink up' some of the water and sort of reconstitute.After the dough has sat for a while take it out and flour your rolling surface. Roll it out and place it in a greased and floured pie pan ir a cast iron frying pan. (Cast iron frying pans make great pie pans.) Tuck it in and form the edges by pinching or a fork.

Bean Custard Filling

Ingredients

1 cup cooked navy beans ( you can used canned but the finished product is better if you use dried beans) you can use almost any kind of beans.

1/2 stick of butter

1/2 can of sweetened condensed milk (about 8 ounces)

2 eggs

1/4 cup of maple syrup

1/4 cup of brown sugar

Teaspoon of vanilla extract

Teaspoon of cinnamon

Teaspoon of salt

Tablespoon of flour

It may seem as though there is not enough filling custard. This is because bean pie custard comes out much better if it is a little shallower than a pumpkin pie. I pour mine to about 1" to 1-1/2" thick.

Put all of the above ingredients into a food processor and blend them until smooth. Pour it into the dough you have ready in the pan and place it into a preheated oven at 400 degrees. This is a high heat so keep an eye on it turning it from time to time if it looks like it is getting to dark in spots.

Cook it until the crust is getting golden to dark brown and a tooth pick stabbed into the center comes out clean. Don't worry if it gets a little over cooked, it is much more forgiving than pumpkin custard pie that will curdle when over cooked.

When it comes out of the oven I drizzle it with a little maple syrup so that it drinks it up as it cools and leaves behind a shinny glaze over the top of the filling.

Thanks For Dropping By!

I decided to join the world of blogging as a way to share my culinary adventures and sort of play cookbook. For me the most important room of the house is the kitchen. It is a place to share nourishment, love and time with my family. I am very passionate about cooking and the kitchen is also a place of great enjoyment for me. Cooking is my hobby, its my religion, its my golf. I knew from a very early age that I wanted to cook. Since then I have been on a life long culinary journey that spans the globe. Some of the things I learned along the way are the little 'tricks' to make recipes authentic and from scratch. I also have learned ways to expedite things in the kitchen when cooking some of these recipes so that they go much quicker. My goal with this blog is to not only share and learn about recipes, but also the methods in which to bring them to the table sooner. Whether it is stick to your ribs comfort food or an exotic meal from a far off land; you can do it too. You might not want to try every recipe that I post but I can guaranty that you will find them interesting! Please let me know if you have any questions and feel free to comment and share. There are few things that I enjoy more then sharing and learning about cooking.